You may have seen them gathered around
dumpsters, in parking lots, trailer parks and apartment complexes  homeless cats who
flee from humans. These domestic cats, referred to as "feral", are the result of
both the failure to spay/neuter and cat abandonment.

The only difference between a house cat and a feral cat is that the
latter has had little or no human contact and developed a natural fear of humans. Ferals
are erroneously labeled as "wild cats". A bobcat is a wild cat, but a feral cat
is a domestic cat that has literally "gone wild". It is a domestic cat that has
reverted to a wild state, because it was lost, abandoned, or born outside to a stray or
feral mother and has had little or no human contact. Adult feral cats usually cannot be
tamed and are not suited to living indoors with people. They live outside in family groups
called colonies that form near a source of food and shelter. Feral cats can survive almost
anywhere and are found worldwide.

Because colonies form where
food and shelter are available, if cats are simply removed, others will move in to take
their place. This is a well-documented occurrence known as the "vacuum-effect".
With TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), in a stable, managed colony, the colony gradually decreases
over time.

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